| Kingston's renaissance is based on a terrific waterfront location, a stunning natural landscape, and charming historic districts, all accompanied by a lively arts scene. The vibrant First Saturday gallery receptions (from 5 - 8 pm) offer an easy entree into the scene: just pick up "ASK for Arts," the monthly gallery guide to find a comprehensive list of participants and map. Uptown, midtown and downtown all offer a mix of venues with exhibits, music and other performance events. Go to www.askforarts.org for a complete listing, or call ASK at 845-338-0331. When in Kingston: ASK for arts!
September Events at ASK
“Katharine L. McKenna: A Solo Show”
This September, ASK welcomes a solo show by Katharine L. McKenna and a members’ exhibition dedicated to ASK’s volunteers.
The Arts Society of Kingston (ASK) welcomes work by Katharine L. McKenna to the Main Gallery. The Members’ Lounge will feature “The Volunteers Exhibit,” a Members’ Exhibition. The shared opening reception will take place during First Saturday, September 4th, 5-8 p.m. Both exhibitions will run until September 25th.
The energy that flows through my hands and onto the canvas is something that I describe as my Color, Light and Spirit technique, which has become my signature. My life’s work is to illuminate the mind in an exciting new way - not to defy tradition, but to expand assumption. Through my formal education, I was trained to discover color in shadow and to use many hues and values to create light. The use of line and space in my compositions combine abstract elements with the figurative, which are sculpturally fused by bright color. My paintings of the west begin on site where I’ve spent my summers for over 40 years. The reds of Wyoming and Arizona - the brilliant yellows and greens of Colorado and Montana are my passion and inspiration.My work as a contemporary American artist appeals to a certain kind of collector - one who is spiritually drawn to the uninhibited use of color and light. – Katharine L. McKenna
Through the unique use of color, light and spirit, K.L. McKenna’s style captures the landscape in unexpected ways. Her paintings are not just paintings of landscapes but color harmonies of a very high and unusual order. Additional information is available at 845-246-9590 or by visiting www.klmckenna.com.
“The Volunteers Exhibit” A Members’ Exhibition
Judith Pedatella
“The Volunteers Exhibit” is to honor all members who have volunteered their time and energy towards ASK so graciously over the past years. Whether it’s gallery sitting on Saturday afternoons, organizing a fundraiser, or hosting an event-- these tasks are what make our organization vibrant. Some of our loyal volunteers (to name a few) who will be exhibiting their work in the show are Staats Fasoldt, Sharon Vairamides, Nathan Milgrim, Judith Pedatella, Sadie Brathwaite, Pat Kelly, Christopher McKeever, Claudia Engel and Cami Fischer.
Saturday, September 4th – The Sedona Method: Breakthrough in Creativity
Offered at The Art Society of Kingston (ASK) the first Saturday morning of each month from 10 - 11:30 AM, beginning Saturday August 7th, with a suggested donation of $5. The Sedona Method Support Group will be offered at ASK every third Saturday morning of each month from 10 - 11:30 AM, beginning August 21st
Saturday, September 11th – Westfrisian Ringdike Walk: Fast Forward on an Ancient Dutch Dike
On Saturday, September 11 at 8 pm, Pe Okx’s film about his year-long walk of the Westfriese Ringdike will be shown at the Arts Society of Kingston. The artist, who will be visiting from his home city of Alkmaar, will introduce the film, which was shown in numerous sold-out performances in July in the Netherlands as part of the Karavaan arts festival. The 45-minute-long movie has an original soundtrack composed by Okx, which is a recording of a live performance accompanying the film showing in Holland.
“Westfrisian Ringdike Walk: Fast Forward on an Ancient Dutch Dike” is coming to ASK in September
On Saturday, September 11 at 8 pm, Pe Okx’s film about his year-long walk of the Westfriese Ringdike will be shown at the Arts Society of Kingston. The artist, who will be visiting from his home city of Alkmaar, will introduce the film, which was shown in numerous sold-out performances in July in the Netherlands as part of the Karavaan arts festival. The 45-minute-long movie has an original soundtrack composed by Okx, which is a recording of a live performance accompanying the film showing in Holland.
For centuries the Westfriese Ringdike, located in the north of Holland, has protected the land against devastating floods. The 80-mile-long circular dike has left its mark on the surrounding environment, spurring the development of cities and villages. But today it is for the most part forgotten, an ancient earthwork congealed in the evolving landscape, traversed by railroads, canals and archways.
Okx has lived alongside the dike for more than 30 years and had long been fascinated by its monumental form, in such contrast to the swirl of movement and activity around it-- from bikers, runners and skaters, cars and trucks, and herds of cows and sheep. He saw the dike as an invitation to a different time perspective, and so a year ago he began an epic project of his own, in which he divided the dike into 12 parts and began walking each section one day a month, recording his circumlocution with his camera: after every three steps, he took a photograph. When the walk was completed last June, Okx had amassed 48,000 images, from which he crafted this film. In contrast to the painstaking slowness of his walk, the film takes the viewer around the dike at vertiginous speed, through dawns and sunsets, sunshine and drizzle, the gray of winter and the yellow-green of spring.
In July, Okx presented 19 showings of the film in the cities of Alkmaar, Hoorn, and Schagen as part of the month-long Karavaan summer festival, with most performances sold out. Old barns and farmhouses at the three locations served as the theaters. “A monument for a monument,” reported the Noord-Hollands Dagblad magazine in its review. “It’s almost hypnotizing how one is pulled at high speed through the Westfrisian landscape.” The national newspaper De Volkskrant noted that ‘the repetitive, meditative character of the movie has a stunning effect on the spectator, thanks to its unusual perspective and profoundness.” Many of the spectators also contributed comments. “It’s a beautiful, meditative document about the dike, but also about nature, light and a man who moves at his own speed through time,” wrote one audience member.
Okx, a multi-media artist who has shown his work extensively in the Netherlands and throughout Europe, was one of nine Dutch artists who participated in the Ulster County artists’ residency program in 2009 as part of the Hudson Quadricentennial Celebration. During the residency he showed two of his video pieces in Kingston, one in an abandoned garage on the waterfront and a second piece, projected on hanging shards of glass, in the Shirt Factory. More than a literal portrait of an ancient dike, the film creates a new awareness in the viewer about his or her perspective on time, the seasons, and the land.
Friday & Saturday, September 24th & 25th – The ASK Art Book Sale Fundraiser
Please stop by ASK from 1 – 6 on September 24th or 25th to peruse through the wide variety of art books, magazines and posters, which have been donated by our members. We guarantee that there is something for everyone!
October Events at ASK
Friday, October 1st – Mikhail Horowitz and Gilles Malkine Performance
Hilarious and poignant satirical songs by Mikhail Horowitz and partner Gilles Malkine
Saturday, October 2nd –
1st Saturday: Mask Show and Selections from the Studio Tour, 5-8 p.m.
October’s 1st Saturday will feature handcrafted masks, paintings and photos of masks; along with selections from OST participating artists.
Open Studio Tour, 11-5
The 2010 Open Studio Tour kicks off Kingston's First Saturday art events in a big way. Member artists will be spotlighted with a gallery exhibition at ASK the opening night of the tour from 5 to 8 pm. The exhibit will remain on view for the month of October.
Friday, October 22nd – An Autumn Cabaret 8 p.m.
Saturday, October 30th – Mancini on Sax
“Gus Mancini is a rare blend of classically trained musician, composing scores and symphonic works, and a master of improvisational jazz. A graduate of New York University, with a B.S. in Music Education, he has studied and performed with many of the principle soloists for the New York Philharmonic and Jazz elite as well.” – Soundclick.com
About ASK
The Arts Society of Kingston, a regional center for the arts, presents a diverse range of visual art exhibitions, performances, workshops, classes, and other arts-related programming for the benefit of artists, art-lovers, and the general community of the Hudson Valley. Through its initiatives, ASK provides opportunities, resources, and education for artists. In carrying out this mission, ASK enriches the quality of life, bridges cultural gaps, and increases awareness and appreciation of the arts. For more information, please visit ASKforArts.org. |
